


Bird in a Cage

by thetroll



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Post-Canon, dark InuYasha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25806343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetroll/pseuds/thetroll
Summary: Forced to flee, Kagome feels there is nothing ahead of her.Of course, she's never taken a second look at the options available to her. Fortunately, Sesshomaru has never been one to turn a situation to his own advantage.This time, it's one Kagome will find benefit to as well.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Comments: 8
Kudos: 235





	1. Chapter 1

Kagome leaned up against a tree, cuddling the tiny nekomatta in her lap. While the kitten looked like Kirara, she had no relation to Sango's firecat. Instead, Hana—the name Kagome had given the kitten when she'd found it—had been alone and on her own when Kagome had quite literally stumbled upon her just the day before.

"I hope you aren't too cold," she murmured to Hana as the kitten mewled. Hana was a third of the size of Kirara and Kagome suspected that Hana was only a few months old—if that—given her size.

She eyed the blaze before them dubiously. The fire was the only warmth they had to ward off the brisk autumn air. Kagome had no home to take Hana back to, but even knowing her own situation, she couldn't turn away someone who needed her.

"If I hadn't started that last fight," she told the purring kitten in her lap, "we would both have a place to sleep tonight."

 _But then_ , she thought to herself gloomily, _if I hadn't started that last fight, I still would have felt trapped. He still would have been controlling everything I did, form how I dressed to what I did._

She had become a stand-in for Kikyo, and any time she had done something out of character for Kikyo, InuYasha had made sure Kagome had paid for it.

It had started small enough, with a simple enough request. He'd wanted her to grow out her hair. He'd liked it long and he'd thought it was sexy when she pulled it back in the traditional miko hairstyle. He'd been so tender back then, so gentle, and she had enjoyed knowing that she'd aroused him with something so simple.

But then it had evolved to him controlling the most minute details. How she talked, how she walked, even how she carried out her own priestess duties. And any time she'd failed to live up to his expectations, he would become cruel, emotionally and verbally berating her until she'd finally lost the will to even eat.

_This wasn't the life I came back from my era for._

Hana's tiny whine snapped Kagome out of her thoughts and she glanced down at the kitten in her lap. The kitten shivered and she pulled Hana closer to her body heat.

Sango had been the first one to notice and it had been Sango who had smuggled her out of the village with Kirara when InuYasha and Miroku had been away slaying a troublesome minor yokai in another village with Kohaku, who had come for a visit. Sango had entrusted her sleeping children to Rin and Kaede snuck Kagome out of the village. Sango been the one to fill Kagome's backpack she'd inadvertently left behind when she'd destroyed the jewel with all the basic supplies she'd need to make a life for herself somewhere else.

But Sango hadn't acted alone. The ofudas from Miroku and the dried herbs she'd prepared with Rin for Kaede told her that. Her friends—no, she decided, her _family_ —had done everything they could to ensure she would be safe and looked after, even if they couldn't be with her.

And yet she'd only been able to say goodbye to Sango. It would have been too risky otherwise.

The lack of goodbyes still haunted her, as had Sango's final warning.

 _"You can't come back here," Sango had said as they stood at the edge of the village together. "He's going to look for you as soon as he realizes you're gone, Kagome. It's in his nature. He may be a hanyo, but he's an inuhanyo. He's marked you as_ his _. And if he finds you, he's going to convince you to go back."_

_"I don't want to leave you, Sango. Or Miroku. I want to see your kids grow up. I want to see them get married and have kids of their own, too." Kagome had sniffed back tears. Her emotions were absolute mess. She had the desire to stay with her friends despite all she'd been through and a fear of the unknown for being on her own. At the same time, she was so afraid of what would happen if she didn't leave and stay with InuYasha._

_Sango's eyes were just as full of tears as Kagome's but the slayer didn't bother wiping them away. "We want you to be happy, Kagome. That means more to us than anything else. If you're happy, we will be, too. But I can't see you suffer one more day, Kagome. If you don't go, I might end up killing InuYasha_ for _you."_

Kagome wiped at the tears streaming down her face at the memory. She could still feel Sango's strong embrace before the slayer had actually picked up her friend, and, still crying, put Kagome on the back of Sango.

 _I miss them all._ She tucked Hana into the lapel of her kimono, wanting to both warm the kitten and feel Hana's purring body against her own. _Being on my own is so hard._

"I need to find shelter soon," she murmured to herself, staring up at the night sky through the trees. "Winter's coming and neither of us are built for the snow, Hana."

Hana mewled sleepily into Kagome's abdomen and flexed her claws against Kagome's skin in a kneading movement that was as reassuring as it was prickly.

Kagome sighed but settled back against the tree, taking a quick glance to ensure that Miroku's ofudas were still up where she'd put them. They wouldn't ward off human attackers, but it was the best she could do with what she had. Hopefully, Hana would hear any humans and wake Kagome up before they reached her.

She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come to her. Until it did, she kept replaying memories of her friends to try and keep the loneliness at bay.

Kagome woke at as the sun began to rise into the sky. She hadn't intentionally dozed off facing east but she was glad for the happy accident because it kept her from oversleeping.

Gingerly, she rose to her feet, shivering as she realized her fire had burnt itself out at some point. Though there wasn't yet snow on the ground, the air was cold enough for it. She wrapped her blanket around herself, turning it into a mock shawl, though she was careful to keep from dislodging Hana as the kitten slumbered against her chest.

She pulled her backpack straps over her shoulders and set out, grateful once again that Kirara had dumped Kagome in a totally random place. Flying meant she'd left no scent behind for InuYasha to trace and the lack of familiar surroundings meant that Kirara had succeeded in ensuring Kagome wouldn't be easily found.

"But where are we?" she wondered to herself aloud. She was sure that, sooner or later, she would find a human village to refresh her supplies. If she was lucky, they wouldn't have a miko already in residence and would be willing to put her up for the winter.

It would have been more helpful, however, if she'd paid more attention to what direction Kirara had taken her just days before. Kagome had first been lost to her tears and then to a depression that had rendered her incapable of caring. It was only hearing Hana's mewls not long after Kirara had left Kagome that had awakened some sense of care and purpose within her.

She sighed as she picked a direction at random and set off, wandering through the forest until she reached the end. The land transformed into a flat, grassy terrain, but there was a wildness to it that told her it hadn't seen a human hand in some time. 

_Looks like it's going to be awhile yet until I find a village._ She sighed quietly as she plodded along, checking periodically to make sure that Hana was still safely tucked into Kagome's kimono.

Two more days passed before Kagome found a village, but it was one that she hadn't lingered in long. They'd had a recent yokai attack and were too on edge to even consider living with a nekomatta, even if it was a tiny kitten accompanied by a miko. Kagome had stayed just long enough to refill her bag of rice before continuing on her way—but she'd taken a moment and silently thanked Sango for slipping a small bag of coins into her backpack that allowed her to resupply without worrying about payment.

Those coins were probably Sango's and Miroku's entire savings and though Sango had made Kagome promise not to go back, she was determined to one day find a way to pay her friends back for their kindness.

For now, her options were growing dimmer. The day after she'd left the village, she woke to a sudden temperature drop that told her a snowstorm was imminent. Hana had managed to move in the middle of the night, tucking her shivering body between Kagome's thighs in a last ditch attempt to find warmth to stave off the cold air.

 _I wonder if I could find a cave before the snowstorm hits_ , she mused to herself, looking at the nearby mountain. _It's too late to turn back to the village now to wait the storm out, even if that was still an option. And I doubt I'd be lucky enough to find an abandoned hut or a temple, either._

She shifted Hana back to her abdomen, taking a moment to pull out her spare kimono to wrap the nekomatta in for extra warmth before she tucked Hana back into the little pocket of fabric in her kimono that had become Hana's temporary bedding. Hana shivered less violently, but it didn't alleviate Kagome's worries any.

"I have to find shelter," she murmured to herself. "If not for me, then for Hana. She can't take much more of this."

Kagome finished breaking camp, tucking the ofudas back into her bag before she set back out, aiming straight for the mountain. There had to be a cave in there somewhere and as long as they had food and fire, they would probably be okay to wait it out.

With that in mind, she began collecting twigs and branches as she walked, as well as several handfuls of dried leaves, throwing them haphazardly into her open backpack on her shoulders as she went. She didn't know how long the storm would last or how deep the snow would get, so she didn't stop collecting until she couldn't fit any more into her backpack or carry any more in her arms without overly fatiguing herself. 

Yet she couldn't shake off the fear that it wasn't going to be enough to see them both through the storm.

"If I find a cave in enough time, I can always go find more timber," she reminded herself but it didn't help her anxiety any. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this storm was going to be worse than any other she'd experienced since she came to the feudal era.

But she began searching for a cave in earnest, hoping against hope that she could find one in time. As she began skirting the foothills, the climate dropped further, accompanied by a cold breeze that started off.

The cave she finally found was nothing remarkable, but it was deep enough that Kagome could get back out of the wind. She set her backpack down and immediately went to work setting up a campfire, but she already felt a little warmer.

Once the fire was roaring and properly banked, she turned back to the mouth of the cave and gasped as she saw the snow falling outside. It was falling fast enough that she didn't dare risk going outside again. If she fell or got hurt, there was no one around to help her.

Her eyes began watering as she was abruptly reminded of the fact that she was alone—and _why_. Her hand absently moved to cover the healing bruise on her shoulder where he'd grabbed her that night when she'd tried to leave their hut to spend the night with Sango to give them both space to cool off.

_"You're not goin'," InuYasha had growled when she'd stood to leave._

_"We're not going to fix this tonight, InuYasha," she'd said, striving to be reasonable despite her own irritation. "I'm just going to spend the night with Sango. I'll be back in the morning and we can talk about this more then."_

_"Hell no." InuYasha was instantly on his feet. "She always puts dumb ideas into your head. Kikyo always talked with me about what was wrong."_

_She flinched._

_Something welled up within Kagome then. A desire to hurt him as his words had hurt her. "Except for when she shot you with an arrow!" she snapped, regretting the words as soon as they left her lips._

_InuYasha's upper lip curled, exposing his fangs. "You got no right talking 'bout her like that. She never woulda let our house get to such a state because of her priestess duties. Kikyo wanted to be a real woman but you don't even care about being a wife."_

_She'd heard the comparison before but it still stung. "I do love you, InuYasha, but I can't turn away people who need my help," she said, exhausted at repeating the same argument once again as she reached for the curtain that acted as their door. "Kaede's eyesight has been going for awhile now and she can't really help out anymore. She needs my help_ —"

_InuYasha's hand reached out to grab her by the shoulder. His grip was biting as he pulled her back into the hut. "I said," he growled, "you ain't going anywhere."_

Kagome pushed back the memories, not wanting to remember what had happened next. He had been possessive, turning their normal bondage play into something far darker.

The bruise had been the signal for Sango to act, though it had been the only visible mark he'd left on her.

Hana reached out and bumped her head into Kagome's bosom as she chirped.

"I forgot to feed you, huh?" Kagome's grimace fell into a small smile as she moved to get the dried fish she'd prepared for Hana the night before. "Here you are, Hana."

She ate the last of her own rice cake, setting aside her raw rice to prepare tomorrow. She pulled Hana back into her embrace, draping the kimono and her blanket over them. If she was lucky, the storm would clear up in the morning and would have melted by the time she set out.

Sesshomaru felt the shifting winds and sensed the changing weather. _The first snow._

He turned on his heel to look for a place to wait out the storm. He saw no reason to be uncomfortable when shelter would be readily available, though he was grateful Jaken had been summoned by his mother and had taken Ah-Un with him. He had no desire to listen to Jaken's endless whining. 

_The mountain._ He would find a suitable cave there.

He made his way towards the mountain, searching as he flew overhead for a cave that would be large enough for his true form. If the temperature dropped too much, he would be better be able to conserve heat in his true form.

The first few caves he found were too small for his needs, but as the snow began to pile up on the ground, he found a cave more suitable for his needs. It still wasn't as large as he would have preferred for comfort, but it would have to do.

He landed at the mouth of the cave and started as he caught a familiar scent. _Kagome_ , he thought in recognition, and then quickly correct himself, _InuYasha's woman._

But he scented only the faintest trace of InuYasha's presence. Her human companions weren't with her, either. In fact, all he sensed was the woman herself and the unfamiliar scent of a nekomatta.

His lips thinned as he considered the ramifications. Either something had happened to InuYasha, or he had deliberately cast aside honor and abandoned his wife.

Either way, Sesshomaru could not leave the priestess alone, especially not when he could scent the healing injuries upon her flesh. 

He stepped into the cave, surprised to see the priestess had fallen asleep by a fire, curled up in her own clothing. It was the backpack by her side that drew his attention and he pondered for himself what it could mean. 

He flared his yoki, allowing a measure of protection since she hadn't done it herself, before he approached her. As he walked into the cave, her face turned to him as if she'd sensed his presence in her sleep, though she didn't awaken.

The nekomatta curled up against her did, however. It woke up to look at him and he had the suspicion it was evaluating him.

After a moment, it turned away and settled back against the priestess. 

The priestess shivered suddenly, trying unsuccessfully to wrap more of her blanket around her. He spotted her pack beside her and was reminded of their past encounters. She had often produced supplies from the bag, he recalled, and though he also remembered that she was possessive of the bag and its contents, he had no desire to see her suffer unnecessarily from the elements, either.

But when he cautiously checked inside the yellow pack, he saw no additional clothing or blankets, nor did she have any other supplies to help her withstand the cold.

A mental picture of what might have happened was forming in his mind and he pressed his lips together to stop the growl that threatened to escape. 

She shifted again in her sleep, turning towards him, and the movement allowed her loose lapel to slip further, exposing her bare shoulder and the deep purplish blue bruise of a handprint that mottled her fair skin.

It carried with it the faint scent of InuYasha.

Careful of his claws, he settled the lapel more firmly over her before it exposed any more of her skin. If she had any other marks on her, he wasn't sure how he would handle it.

With a quiet sigh of resignation, he settled down beside her, unfurling the fluff of his tail to settle it around her in the hopes of warming her. If he had been more certain of her reaction, he would have transformed into his true form and curled around her, but given the trauma she had already endured, he was reluctant to cause any additional pain.

Yet he knew where the fault lay. InuYasha might have been the one to harm his own wife, but Sesshomaru had inadvertently allowed it to happen. He had believed her to be happy to InuYasha and had not wished to burden her with his own feelings when she'd made her choice clear from the beginning.

So he had never spoken of his own feelings and had sought to distance himself from her. In doing so, he had missed the signs of the pain she'd endured.

"This one apologizes, Kagome," he rumbled, watching as she tried unsuccessfully to brush hair out of her face. She grumbled in her sleep as she tried and failed again.

Unbidden, his hand moved of its own accord to brush the hair from her face. "Rest," he murmured to her, reluctantly pulling his hand back before he trampled over any of her other human boundaries. "This one promises you, Kagome, that he will not allow any pain to befall you again."

He would ask nothing of her, pressure her to do nothing. It would be her choice what she wanted from him aside from his protection, for that was the one thing she would have regardless of her own feelings.

InuYasha would not be allowed to harm her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally wrote the second part. FINALLY. Unless I'm inspired, this will be where and how it ends.

Kagome woke in the dark with a start, suddenly wide awake as she felt a warm body next to her.

It was far too dark to see anything, but there was no doubt in her mind about who her sudden visitor was.

Her heart began palpating, expecting the best as she instinctively pulled back from the male next to her. "I'm sorry, InuYasha," she pleaded, yet hating her fear and her lack of courage. She was terrified of what he might do now that he'd caught up to her, though she wasn't sure how he'd managed to find her so soon. It was all she could do not to flee but she knew if she tried, things would only become worse. 

Besides, there was a snowstorm raging outside and it was already almost more cold than she could bear inside. _She'd freeze to death if she tried to leave now. If I'd left now, I'd likely find myself a Yuki-onna_ , she thought to herself ruefully. 

But not leaving meant that she had to deal with InuYasha _now_ and that was almost as horrible a thought as freezing to death. 

Her hand moved to protectively guard Hana as she blurted, "I'm sorry I left, but I—"

"Be calm," the male rumbled, his voice all too familiar. "The hanyo is not here."

She swallowed and licked her lips. "Sesshomaru?" she guessed, hesitant about how he might react to her plight.

"Hnn." He made no move to reach for her or to pull her close. 

"A-are you going to take me back?" If he tried, she would probably try to purify him, she admitted to herself, but she was afraid of how well that would work. It certainly hadn't worked _last_ time, but she also wouldn't dare waste Sango's and Miroku's sacrifices to help her escape, either. Nor would she dare risk harm to Hana.

He was silent for a moment. "Do you wish to return to him?"

If it had been anyone else, she would have said he was uncertain about her answer, but uncertainty wasn't a word that really seemed to suit the daiyokai.

"No, I don't." She was proud of how firm her voice sounded.

"Then you will not return." He said it so easily, as if it truly was as simple as that. "Are you not cold?"

She blinked, taken aback yet again. "Cold?" she repeated and then felt stupid because she _was_ cold; she'd been so clouded with fear that she'd noticed the cold and had been shivering, but hadn't ever stopped to expect that _he_ might care. 

"You are shivering, priestess," he said, his voice a low rumble.

She flushed; in any other circumstance, his words might have been construed as a come-on, but they were in the middle of a blizzard and he was _Sesshomaru_. She doubted he had the need to flirt with anyone.

"It's cold," she admitted, curling in on herself. 

"Hnn." He paused and then commented offhand, "You may continue to use Mokomoko, if you prefer. However, it will be several hours before sunset and it may not be enough to keep you warm."

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid of that." She wished she'd had the foresight to bring dry timber with her for a fire, but she'd barely been able to find shelter before the storm had set in and what timber she had been able to find had been far too damp to light.

He was silent for another moment and then offered, "You may curl up against this one, if you wish. The cave is large enough to accommodate you as well."

His odd word choice threw her for a moment. "Your true form?" she finally guessed; no other explanations made any sense to her.

"Hnn."

That gesture of kindness surprised her and she blinked back tears. "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

He made no reply but she saw a blaze of his yoki moments later light up the cave for a moment, just enough for her to see him shift into his true form before the light winked out.

And then he settled down in the cave, careful to wrap his large body around hers in the dark. 

The moment his body settled around hers, she finally stopped shivering and it wasn't long before she dozed back off to sleep.

When she woke up, she found Sesshomaru still curled around her, awake but cautiously watching her.

"Um, good morning," she mumbled, hoping that he would stick to his promise yesterday and not return her to InuYasha.

He studied her for a moment and then she saw his yoki as he transformed once more back into the form that was more familiar to her. "Hnn." He eyed her for a moment. "How are your injuries?"

She flushed. She hadn't even realized he was aware that she'd been hurt. "It's just a few bruises," she said, trying to shrug it off. After all, it wasn't the injuries he could _see_ that had hurt her the most.

To her surprise, his expression softened. "We will leave, then."

Immediately, panic began to well up within her as she cuddled Hana to her. "No!" She winced at how loud her voice suddenly was. "I'm not going back, Sesshomaru!"

He blinked and then inclined his head. "This one did not ask you to." He then moved his hand and waved to her bruise and then, as she flushed, to her more intimate parts. "These injuries should not have occurred and for that, this one apologizes. He should have been more attentive to your new bond with InuYasha. It seems," his lips thinned, "that too much trust was placed on the hanyo."

Kagome faltered. "Y-you're sorry?" She didn't flinch when his hand reached out to her shoulder, despite his resemblance to InuYasha. Somehow, she knew then that she was safe. "Sesshomaru, this wasn't your fault."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Was it not?" He pulled back. "The hanyo is this one's half-brother and you have mated—"

"He's my husband," Kagome felt compelled to correct him. 

If anything, Sesshomaru seemed even more displeased. "Regardless, you are kin, Kagome, and that aside, you have already proved yourself worthy. The hanyo's actions cannot go unanswered."

Kagome flinched. "No," she said weakly, both angered and frustrated at herself for feeling compelled to still defend her husband. "You can't, Sesshomaru. This is my fault, too, because—"

Sesshomaru lifted his chin. "You bear no fault for these." He gestured angrily at her injuries. "You have done nothing wrong, Kagome."

Her eyes watered. Sango had said that, as had Miroku, but she'd had a hard time believing it after years of InuYasha berating and abusing her. Everything he'd done, he'd made it feel like it was her fault, and it was a hard feeling to shake off. "It doesn't feel that way," she whispered almost inaudibly.

His hand moved to gently cup her head, patting her head as though she were a child, as she'd seen him do with Rin. "It will take time, Kagome."

 _Why are you being so nice to me?_ she thought but couldn't bring herself to ask. Instead, she said, "So what happens now, Sesshomaru?"

"We leave," he repeated. "This one has recently taken up residence in his new home. It should suit your needs as well."

Kagome flushed bright red. "I wouldn't dare impose, Sesshomaru; I don't—"

"It is winter," he interrupted bluntly. "You would freeze if left to your own devices, as would your nekomatta. It is no trouble to accommodate you."

Kagome closed her mouth at that; she wouldn't dare risk Hana's life simply for her own pride. Besides, if she was with Sesshomaru, it might help keep InuYasha from finding her and taking her back. He'd never expect to find her there. "Okay," she agreed, "if you're sure."

He gave her a small smile and her breath caught. She wasn't ever sure she'd truly seen him smile before. "This one is most sure, Kagome. This one is most confident that you will find his home comfortable enough to accommodate you."

She sighed but gave in. "Let's go, then."

Instead of turning and leading the way as she expected, he beckoned her to him and then summoned his cloud, securing her to him as he flew off towards his home.

His home was nothing like what she expected. She'd expected perhaps some grand palace, decorated from top to bottom with ornate decorations, but instead, it was a simple home, nestled deep within a valley in the mountains well away from human eyes.

"This is your home?" she asked, turning to look up at him as he landed on the ground.

He inclined his head. "It is."

She blinked. "Do you have other homes?"

He looked amused at that. "Why would this one have need of other homes when he can shelter wherever he'd like outdoors?"

She considered that and finally nodded. "Are Jaken and Ah-Un here?"

"They are." He seemed slightly resigned at that. "Jaken attends to the grounds."

Well, that explained why he tolerated Jaken's presence. 

"Follow me." He turned and led her on a short tour, but the house was as simple within as it was on the outside. There was a kitchen, a dining area, what had to operate as a study, and then several bedrooms with connecting bathrooms. "This is your room," he said, showing her the last room. It lay at the end of the house and it seemed to have been decorated with her own taste. Blue and purple were the prominent colors—her favorites, no less—and while there was a futon rolled up at the end for a bed, there was also a pile of blue and purple cushions to recline in. She had her own firepit in the center with several more cushions for herself and any guests. Several tansu also sat on one end next to the door to her connected outside bathing area, and to her delight, she had her own hot spring.

"It's perfect," she said, turning to smile at him gratefully.

"If you need anything, this one's room is next door." He smiled again, a little larger than before, and turned to leave her.

"Wait!" she called after him. "What if InuYasha finds me?"

He turned and raised a brow. "That will not happen," he promised her and she found that she believed him.

He left her then and she turned to Hana, who mewled at her. "Shall we go bathe?"

Hana mewed again and Kagome took that as agreement and, with a happy sigh, raced towards the hot spring.

Life with Sesshomaru was a lot more comfortable than she would have guessed. He'd sent Jaken out for supplies for her and though he didn't eat what she cooked, he was content to sit with her while she ate her own cooking.

Jaken had tried to help at first—Kagome suspected that Sesshomaru had threatened Jaken to try and cook for her—but his cooking was actually _worse_ than InuYasha's had ever been. 

But still, it only took a few weeks for them to settle into a routine. She would prepare her meals in the morning while Sesshomaru was in his study and then he would join her for her meals. In between, he would either allow her to join him in his study, where she often read—a hobby he shared, she quickly learned—or they would play Go in the garden outside. Hana often accompanied Kagome, but occasionally would venture off to explore the grounds or hunt bugs on her own.

She'd quickly learned that he was wont to relaxation if there was nothing that needed doing and, since it was winter, there wasn't really anything that required his attention. He was a far cry from the power obsessed inuyokai she'd first met and she could only envy his nonchalance. 

Or, perhaps, it was more accurate to say that this, his home here, was where he felt comfortable and she was seeing him, for the first time, truly relaxed.

And why shouldn't he relax? The house and surrounding lands were comfortable and well-tended to, with plenty of space for him to transform and roam and hunt, if he was so inclined. He'd left on a few occasions, one time even returning with blood that clearly wasn't his, but he could take care of himself and so she resolved against the need to baby him.

Jaken had taken to preparing the grounds, evidently planning on expanding the garden, but if he wasn't tending to the garden, he was often spending time with Ah-Un. Once in awhile, he would join them in Go, where he proved to be a more shrewd player than she would have expected.

InuYasha, if he'd gone looking for her and Kagome was sure that he had, he never found her. As the weeks changed into months and spring came with it, she finally began to relax in Sesshomaru's home.

He wasn't going to find her. She was safe here.

The more she relaxed, the more comfortable she became. At first, she'd had nightmares of the assault she'd endured but as time passed, the bad dreams began to fade away. Sesshomaru himself never brought up her dreams, but he had to know of them.

Still, she was grateful to him, both for his companionship and for his understanding. He never asked anything of her that she wasn't ready to give. 

She enjoyed living with Sesshomaru, more than she'd even enjoyed living with her friends. The longer she stayed, the more she _wanted_ to.

But would Sesshomaru let her stay once the snow finally melted away?

"Sesshomaru?" she asked him one afternoon as he played Go against Jaken. Kagome had requested some supplies, needing to keep herself busy, and now had set up not only an apothecary—a habit, to be sure, but she also had no desire to let Jaken tend to her without medicine on hand if she became sick—as well as more domestic activities, like sewing.

She was currently in the process of hand sewing a quilt, though she hadn't told Sesshomaru yet that she intended it to be a thank-you gift to him. Whether she stayed or left, she wanted to give him something as a way of saying thanks.

She ignored the small voice that told her it was more than that. She wanted him to have something of hers, something to always remember her by.

Still, she couldn't deny that she felt oddly domesticated, sitting here sewing with Hana purring in her lap while he played a game of Go with Jaken. It felt...like they'd created their own family over the winter—like she belonged with him and he belonged with her.

It wasn't his turn, which is why she'd spoken up now. He looked up with her as he murmured, "Hmm?"

"It's spring," she said, though she knew he was already aware of that fact.

"So it is." He reclined back against one of the wooden poles that lined his wooden porch that surrounded his house. One leg was partially off the wooden landing and he had rested one hand on his leg while his other hand propped up his chin on his knee.

She waited, but he said nothing else, his attention returning to his game with Jaken.

She licked her dry lips. "Um, I should probably be on my way."

His gaze flickered to hers again. "Why?"

"Why?" she repeated faintly. "It's spring. Surely you didn't mean for me to stay here forever." She hesitated for a moment and then blurted, "Did you?"

A small smile tugged at his lips. "This one did not recall including an end date in his offer," was all he said.

"Well, no," she said, trying to push back her surprise, "but I'm sure I've overstayed my welcome. What if—" she stopped before she could finish the thought aloud, _what if InuYasha finds me here?_

"This is your home, Kagome," he said simply, as if that was the end of that. "However, you may leave, if that is what you truly wish."

She stared at him, certain he'd gone mad. "This is _your_ home," she corrected him firmly, "not mine."

He shrugged one shoulder carelessly. "Inuyokai have no need of homes unless they've mated." He smirked at her. "Are you offering?"

"B-but why do you live here, then?" she sputtered, hopelessly embarrassed at the thought of Sesshomaru actually _wanting_ her. She'd have to be a fool to think otherwise.

Instead of answering her, his gaze turned towards the garden and the forest that lay beyond it, hidden within the valley he'd built his home into. "Do not ask questions you are not ready to hear the answer to, Kagome."

She wasn't at all sure how to respond to that and for several moments, she couldn't say anything at all. She opened her mouth and then closed it several times before her curiosity got the better of her and she finally blurted out, "Why did you have this house built, Sesshomaru?"

He met her gaze there and there was some emotion there that she swore she was misreading. There was no way he felt anything like _that_ for her.

"Jaken," he said without breaking eye contact with her, "go attend to Ah-Un. We will continue the game later."

"Right, my lord!" Jaken hopped up and took off without so much as a protest, leaving her alone with Sesshomaru.

Well, not _entirely_ alone, if one counted Hana.

She licked her lips again as she waited. "Well?" she finally prompted when he said nothing.

"Are you truly sure you wish the answer?" he said instead.

She nodded, her voice deserting her.

"And if this one told you what he did to InuYasha. Would you still wish to hear the answer then?" he pressed, shifting the game aside to loom over her without touching her.

"What did you do to InuYasha?" she asked faintly, suddenly afraid for her husband—no, _ex_ -husband, she reminded herself firmly, even if she'd never formally divorced him—and his well-being. He had hurt her, but she still couldn't bear it if he was hurt on her behalf.

Sesshomaru's lip twitched in annoyance. "Do you still care for the hanyo, even after all he's done?" He pulled back, but only just.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "Not like that," she whispered, opening them to look at him directly. "It's hard to explain, Sesshomaru. He hurt me, but a part of me still loves him. I know he would hurt me again, if given the chance, and I don't want to go back to him. But the old feelings are still there."

He was silent for a moment. "The hanyo lives," he said, though he still seemed displeased. "And is still intact, so cease your worrying."

She exhaled out, not sure when exactly she'd began to hold her breath. "So what did you do, Sesshomaru?"

His lips thinned. "Nothing. He attacked when he scented you upon this one, but..." He was silent for a moment. "This one could not bring himself to do what he should have. InuYasha was only rendered unconscious, with minimal injuries."

Kagome smiled then, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she reached out to him and hugged him. He froze, but did not push her away. "I'm glad," she said, sniffling. "Your father wouldn't have wanted that, no matter what InuYasha has done." She thought back a few weeks and remembered the day he'd come home covered in blood that wasn't his. He'd been in a foul mood and she finally understood why.

He'd gone with the intention of killing InuYasha for her and she was grateful that he hadn't. InuYasha had done so much wrong and had caused her so much pain and yet Kagome still couldn't bring herself to wish him dead.

It didn't make sense, she knew, but still, they were her feelings regardless. She could only hope that, in time, InuYasha would truly come to understand what he had done wrong and change his ways.

If he didn't, she suspected Sesshomaru would not let him off so easily again.

Sesshomaru finally brought his own arms around her. "For you," he admitted roughly and she was confused for a moment until he clarified, "This one built the house for you."

She suddenly felt like she was underwater and couldn't breathe. "As a gift?" she managed to get out, pulling back to look at his face.

He wouldn't meet her eyes then. 

"Sesshomaru." She reached out to cup his face and turn his gaze back to hers. " _As a gift_?" she repeated.

"As a mating gift. It was commissioned before you mated with the hanyo." The confession seemed to be ripped from him but he didn't pull back, even though he had the strength to do so.

"Why?" She wanted to shake him when he didn't immediately answer her. " _Why_ , Sesshomaru?"

"To have some place we could live together," he rasped, looking uncomfortable. His voice was suddenly husky and his gaze dropped to her lips.

 _He wants to kiss me,_ she realized, and yet, he didn't move to close the distance between them. It was only then that she realized why. _Me. He's waiting on_ me.

"I realize that you are not ready for another commitment, Kagome, and you are under no obligations. This house and land is yours to do with as you wish, regardless of what you decide. _If_ you decide," he stressed, finally pulling her hands gently from his face.

"You want me?" She needed to hear him confirm that.

He nodded once in response.

"You..." she hesitated but then continued on, "You love me?"

His expression shuttered entirely and that told her more than anything else he might have done, aside from the words themselves. "I do not wish to pressure you, Kagome. Do not continue this line of inquiry and place undue burden upon yourself."

"And what about you?" she said fiercely, glowering at him. "Don't you want to hear my answer?"

He sat there stonily, glaring at her as if his will alone could silence her.

"I-I'm not ready to jump into another marriage," she blurted and immediately saw his features tighten with displeasure. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to see where this goes, Sesshomaru," she added quickly before he could close her out.

And then, before he could do or say anything else stupid to convince either of them this wasn't a good idea, she cupped his face again and brought his lips to hers.

At first, he simply sat there, unmoving, but when her hands moved into his hair, grazing his ears, he exploded into action, deepening the kiss as he pulled her onto his lap and a part of him that was all too aware of her own presence.

It felt heady, wanting to be wanted like this, and she enjoyed the sensation more than she would have thought she could have, after all she'd endured. It had been years since she'd enjoyed any aspect of intimacy, and yet now, him touching her had her body awakening as if this was all she'd ever needed.

Perhaps it was, she thought to herself, pulling back to pepper light kisses across his jaw.

His breathing was as ragged as her own as she made her way along his jaw and then down his neck. "Kagome—" He stopped abruptly as she bit down on his shoulder. "Kagome! You must stop now."

She felt an impish smile spread. "Must I?" She licked over the skin she'd just bitten.

"You must, or I will take you here and now," he promised her, his voice dark. And then he hissed as she blew air on his wet flesh.

"And if I want that, too?" She grinned at him, finding that she very much did want to see what making love with Sesshomaru would be like. She had the feeling that he could chase away the painful memories and replace them with better ones.

 _Happier_ ones.

His eyes flared red. "Then you shall have that," he promised her, and proceeded to push her back against the wooden floor. And though he was stronger than her and in the mood to dominate, he took great care to ensure her own comfort and pleasure first, asking what she liked, what she didn't, before doing anything.

As she chased pleasure in his arms, she decided that, when she was ready, the next man she married would be him.


End file.
